Pope Francis to step up fight against modern slavery and human trafficking

Pope Francis wants action against modern forms of slavery including forced labour and prostitution, the Vatican said Monday after a meeting of experts called by the pontiff to debate the problem. Dozens of academics, doctors and clerics were hosted by the Vatican to discuss issues close to the pope’s heart, including the struggle against organ trafficking and people smuggling. “Some experts believe human trafficking will overtake drug and arms trafficking in a decade, becoming the most lucrative criminal activity in the world,” Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, told reporters. Sorondo said the pope was heavily invested in a subject he knows well from his years in Latin America and had even invited two experts on human trafficking that he knows from Buenos Aires. Further meetings are planned in 2014 and 2015. Participants said one of the worst and most worrying forms of slavery in Latin America is the use of children and adolescents as drug dealers. Jose Maria Simon Castellvi, head of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, also stressed the importance of “zero tolerance” against prostitution saying it was linked to drugs, mafia violence and tax fraud.

CAN bans political campaigns in churches

The South-East chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria has banned political campaigns in churches across the zone. It said it took the decision to avoid a repeat of last Saturday church stampede in Anambra State, where about 28 persons reportedly died. The South-East CAN also asked the Federal Government to set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the remote causes of the incident. The organisation said it was wrong for Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State to set up such panel, “as the governor cannot be a judge in his own case.” Chairman of the group, Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, made this known while speaking with journalists in Enugu, on Monday. Chukwuma said CAN was becoming worried on why politicians should carry their campaigns to churches. He sympathised with relatives of victims of the incident, while lamenting that political campaigns in churches had become a menace. The cleric described the incident in Anambra as tragic, and vowed that CAN would sanction whatsoever church that violated the ban on political campaigns. He said, “It is my own duty as CAN chairman, South-East zone, to ban all politicians from attending our churches with their political teams for campaigns. The church should also stay clear of partisan politics because there are different kinds of people in the church that belong to different political parties. “So it’s wrong to come into the church and begin to talk about manifestos and begin to campaign. It is not going to be acceptable anymore because it causes commotion and disrespect to one another.”

Christian, Muslim youths empowered

Many youths in Lagos are still celebrating after recently acquiring requisite skills to enable them challenge the future. They are still feeling excited even after the curtains had been drawn on the 11th graduation ceremony of the Centre for Vocational Empowerment and Development (CVED) of Dominion Faith International Church (DFIC), Ipaja. A total of 148 students who successfully completed their studies in different skill acquisition programmes were presented with their certificates. The CVED which is an empowerment arm of the DFIC, runs eight different free skill acquisition programmes which include bead making, adult literacy, hairdressing, computer studies, catering, printing, interior decoration and chemical production. The epoch making event attracted attendees such as representatives of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Riskat Akiyode and Chairman, Ayobo-Ipaja Local Council Development Area, Coordinator of CVED/Resident Pastor, Olajide Esan; member, CVED Board of Trustee, Rev Gabriel Oyediji and the Registrar of CVED/adult literacy instructor, Pastor Mercy Esan. While the occasion progressed, the elated graduates showered encomium on the church for the opportunity given to them to be partakers in its free skill acquisition programmes. Daily Sun gathered that majority of the beneficiaries of the skill acquisition programmes since its inception were not just members of Dominion Faith International Church, Ipaja alone. Rather, youths and even adults of various faiths who came from far and near had in the past years been part of the programme. During the last edition of the graduation ceremony, among those who received their certificates were Muslims and Christians youths from distant communities in Lagos and Ogun States. CVED’s Executive Director (Admin/Finance), Rev Bamidele Olatona, said he regard the graduation ceremony as a significant phase of development in the actualisation of the centre’s vision to alleviate poverty, raise leaders in the 21st Century imbued with high ethical standards and potential entrepreneurs for the nation and the world at large. “This 11th session of the CVED graduation is unique, being one that has recorded the highest number of graduating students. A total of 148 students have just been graduated from this edition. We are happy to send them out to go and make positively impact in their world,” he explained. Rev Olatona whose speech was read by Pastor Mercy Esan, said CVED was formerly known as Free Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (FEEDS). He noted that in 2007, the church as part of the programme, took the responsibility of providing free lunch for over 300 less privileged persons in the community every Friday. He said: “Having a passion for helping people and the less privileged, fully aware of the fact that we live in a world where basic education has failed to yield the expected positive results and unemployment is the order of the day, the church decided to take the community feeding project to a more advanced level not only by putting food on their table but by giving them free skills to make them self reliant.” According to him, the initiative had since gone international with its introduction in 10 African nations which included Chad, Liberia, Benin Republic, Niger, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Guinea, Togo, Burkina Faso and Guinea Bissau. He noted that that over 2,100 persons had been empowered and issued certificates after acquiring the entrepreneurial skills and quality vocational knowledge. In his speech, the resident/coordinating pastor of DFIC, Pastor Esan, described the 21st century as an era where certification as means of self-sufficiency and prosperity was fast fading and being replaced with skill and vocational-oriented certification. Pastor Esan who lauded the DFIC Senior Pastor, Rev David Olatona and his wife, Rev Dele Olatona, for giving back to the community through CVED, said the vocational centre boasted of thousands of graduands who were doing well with the robust skills they acquired. He informed those interested in acquiring skills at the centre that the next entrepreneurial class would start in November, 2013 and would be the last for the year. According to him, the driving force was embedded in the vision of the church which was to connect people to their destines so that they would make positive impact in their communities. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Akiyode, described the initiative which was part of DFIC social responsibility programme as laudable because it had shifted attention from the practice of churches keeping members or residents of the communities on the dole or giving alms to members as a means of poverty alleviation. Mrs. Akiyode said the state government had “employed this pragmatic approach of equipping men, women and youths with needed vocational skills to serve as panacea to unemployment in our depressed economy.” She implored other churches to borrow a leaf from DFIC and complement the government efforts by contributing to the development of people in their respective communities. She gave the 148 graduands tips on how to overcome the current economic hardship in the country by urging them to look beyond white collar jobs, think of what they could do with their hands to earn a living, develop endurance, focus, courage and self discipline in the face of hardship and to develop ‘I can do it’ spirit. Her representative Mrs. Adeniji Olawatoyin, a director in the ministry, explained that the training given to the students would no doubt empower them to be economically independent and to become employers of labour, noting that the DFIC job creation drive was in line with the state policy of empowering women, men and youths through vocational training programmes. The cynosure of all eyes at the graduation ceremony was 11-year-old Omotuyi Funke, who graduated in Computer Appreciation class with 10 others. Funke told Daily Sun that she enrolled in the skill acquisition programme to in order to learn more about Computer programmes such Microsoft, Excel among others. Funke who wants to study Computer Science in the university said the skills she gained would enhance her job hunting after graduation from the university and revealed that the older students in her class did not look down on her as the youngest in their midst. The graduating students showered encomium on the initiator of the skill acquisition centre, admitting that they had acquired additional skills which they would utilise to add value to the society and the economy. Culled from Sun Newspaper

Homosexuality: We’ll rather break up than concur, say 1,358 bishops

t’s not quite clear why the issue of homosexuality was not included the communiqué of the second Global Anglican Future Conference, GAFCON that ended in Nairobi Kenya, between October 21 and 26 where 1,358 delegates, including 331 Bishops representing tens of millions of the Anglican faithful worldwide, including Nigeria attended. Yet GAFCOM, as Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma of Enugu Diocese said, was primarily formed because of the issue of homosexuality and lesbianism that was accepted by some Anglican faithful in Europe and America. Coming out of the meeting almost enraged, Chukwuma warned that if care is not taken, the issue will again throw the Anglican Church worldwide into fresh crisis with the Church of Nigeria and other sister churches across the world threatening to secede from the Church of England. Chumkwuma further said the Archbishop of Canterbury did not help matters on the issue at the Nairobi Conference as his stand was neither here nor there on an issue threatening the union of over 20 million communicants. Addressing newsmen at Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu when he returned from the GAFCON conference, Chukwuma stressed that if the American and European communion of the Anglican Church that favour homosexuality do not renounce such acceptance, the Anglican Communion may disintegrate worldwide. He emphasised that it was one of the key outcome of the conference, maintaining that different communions of the Anglican church may secede if they insist on imposing homosexuality on the church. Different Bishops of the Anglican Church from the South-East that arrived the airport from Nairobi with Chukwuma agreed that what Bishop Chukwuma said was their opinion, stressing that they would severe their relationships if their pro-gay Bishops do not back down. Archbishop of Owerri Diocese, Caleb Maduoma was also among the Bishops that resolved not to compromise on the issue of homosexuality. The Anglican Bishops said they were rather more interested in having other issues to discuss, rather than homosexuality, adding that they deliberated on things concerning their future in theological education, ministration, Holy Spirit, the way Islam is invading the churches and the whole world, culture, among others. The Church of Nigeria and others in Africa, Britain and America expressed readiness to secede because they were not ready to yoke with colleagues they called unbelievers or to have communion with a person who is a lesbian or homosexual or a Bishop who has forsaken his wife to marry a gay friend. They said they were standing seriously on the authority of the Bible, to defend the faith, adding that there is no going back. Bishop Chukwuma who spoke for the Nigerian Bishops said: “We are not going to compromise. And we have made it quite known even to the Archbishop of Canterbury and to the whole Europe and America, that there is no compromise as far as the scripture is concerned. So, if they do not repent, we are ready to stand on our own and go ahead with that authority of the scriptures and confess that faith as Anglicans for the future of the church of Anglicanism. “We are ready to secede because if you look at Ephesians Chapter 5, verse 7, it says that you should not have anything to do with those people who are becoming disobedient. So, why should we yoke with unbelievers. So, if they do not repent, we are ready to say, go away, we go our way. We love them but we hate their sins. “He (the Archbishop of Canterbury) left a day before we came because he was going to baptise the grand child of the Queen of England. But we got his statement which is very pathetic that he is not straight forward about his stand on this homosexuality and we are not going to comprise with this at all. We feel that he is still sympathetic with these homosexuals and we need to really watch him. And if he does not come to our side, the next Lambert conference, we will not attend.” He disclosed that from many dioceses in Africa, even from Britain and America, all over the world, the bishops came to Nairobi and they were all saying that they did not want homosexuality. Bishop Chukwuma said they were making a force that would shake the whole world. In a communiqué after the GAFCON, the Bishops resolved to commit themselves to teaching about God’s good purpose in marriage and in singleness and to oppose the secular tide running in favour of same-sexmarriage. They also resolved to commit themselves anew to the Jerusalem statement and declaration, with emphasis upon the gospel of Christ, as well as rely on the power of the gospel to be effective in mission. They further resolved to commit themselves to supporting mission and encouraging lay training in obedience to this great Commission to make and mature disciples, with particular attention to children and youth. “We commit ourselves to work for the transformation of the society. We repudiate all violence against women and children. We shall work for the economic empowerment of those who are most deprived and we shall be a voice for persecuted Christians,” the Bishops stated. The conference identified the Anglican Church core priority, according to Matthew 28: 19-20, to mean making disciples in the word, meaning that the movement must be committed to evangelising the West Africa and bringing the gospel to unreached people. It also identified another priority to mean supporting genuine gospel initiatives, re-organising that there are times when the maintenance of structures can constrain the gospel. “In such circumstances, we will seek to work beyond those structures as an obedient response to our Lord’s primary command to take the gospel to all nations. “Guarding the gospel, we shall continue publicly to expose any false gospel that is not consistent with apostolic teaching,” part of the communiqué said. Culled from National Morror Newspaper

Anglican Communion: Stir of the homosexuals

There is growing disquiet in the Anglican Communion over the vexed issue of homosexuality, a practice that has resonated in the permission of same-sex marriage by some dioceses, especially in the United States and Europe. But the Anglican community in Africa, particularly Nigeria, is resolute in its rejection of homosexual practice. Deputy Editor, Kayode Fasua, reports that the debate is currently raging like wildfire, in God’s vineyard Harried for words, a crowd of spectators that milled at the gate of United Bible University in Ojodu, Lagos, was stupefied. They watched on end as sprightly men held hands in sensual display of affections as they gathered to worship. Ordinarily, it was no big deal as the hue was that of a Pentecostal church holding a special programme inside the auditorium of that theological school. But certain indices added up to confound the onlookers. All the worshippers were young men, natively regarded as ‘aje butter’ (spoilt children). They were smartly dressed and were occasionally engaged in impassioned kisses and suggestive whimpers, as to express the joy of the occasion or the ecstasy of hot kisses or both. The next day, the media in Nigeria went viral with reports of the gay church fellowship, announcing that for the first time, a gay church has made a debut in Nigeria. That was five years ago. Today, leader of the dramatis personae behind the Lagos gay gathering, is 40 years old. He is Reverend Rowland Jide Macaulay, who then founded House of Rainbow Fellowship, a Christian community for sexual minorities and marginalised people, in Surulere, Lagos. The son of a theology teacher, Macaulay who is being pilloried at home for being a gay preacher and for building a community of gay Christians, is ironically now making waves in England, where he is being celebrated. This maverick preacher, who started out as a Pentecostal pastor, has wondrously found inroads in the Anglican Communion where he was recently ordained a Deacon of the Anglican Church. In an elaborate ceremony June this year in chelmsford, United Kingdom the bishop of Chelmsford, the Right Reverend Stephen Cotterel, ordained Macaulay at the Chelmsford Cathedral. Though Macaulay’s ordination was anchored on his religious sagacity, having inspired many ethnic minority people in the Newham area of London when in 2000 he played ‘Jesus’ in 2000 Newham Millennium Passion Play, other suggestions saw his ordination differently. Macaulay’s emergence as an Anglican Church cleric was seen in some circles as a hit below the belt for anti- gay Anglican community in Africa, which has been campaigning stridently against homosexual practices. The African Anglicans are particularly wrought that homosexual behaviours, regarded as demonic, had crept into the house of God. But in the Church of England, which is the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, there is unhidden tolerance of homosexual members while the global church is divided as to the godliness in allowing same-sex marriage. Enthused over his ordination, Macaulay had told journalists, “My ordination into the Anglican Communion is an important continuation of my call to parish ministry, to reach out to all people regardless of who they are. I believe whilst my ordination is not anything new to the church, for me, it is both relevant on the state of persecution and righteous living for sexual minorities. My message to all, especially Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people of faith and none, is to hold on to their dreams and hopes in the face of hardship; God is a good God and loves all people.” ‘Nigeria’s Anglicans won’t be part of such unholy practice’ The gay pastor also traced his antecedent in the Anglican Church, which eventually calibrated in his emergence as a deacon. “I played the character of ‘Jesus’ in the passion play, which was staged outdoor throughout the London Borough of Newham in 2000; this alone did not change my life but nonetheless, it was a single contribution to enhancing my relationship with the Anglican Church and more so, with my Christian faith.” Macaulay had a baptism of fire in bringing to the open in Nigeria, the gay dimension to Christianity, which is culturally, socially and religiously rejected in the homeland. Alluding to this, he said: “2008 was a very busy year for House of Rainbow and the ministry was at the height of its popularity as we have become a household name in Nigeria, particularly well known for its inclusive welcome of marginalised communities. “We stood for change, peace and reconciliation; however, violence was thrust upon us as a community and many people, organisations and the media were simply looking for “dirt” about us. In February, I was ambushed by the media in Abuja at the Africa Sexuality Conference. In March/April, the newspapers were filled with sensational headlines; by July we have had many more ‘undercover reporters’ join us and they started to record and take photographs. By August/September, we received unprecedented hostile media coverage, increased violence and numerous death threats. Those who attacked us used this for their own gains. After the second year anniversary celebration of House of Rainbow in Lagos, I went to Abuja for several meetings and when I returned to Lagos, the environment became extremely hostile and the Board of House of Rainbow decided it was time we re-strategise. I was advised to return to London for my own safety and we moved the ministry underground to make it safer for those who attend. House of Rainbow since 2006 has always remained an active ministry in Nigeria with three active groups.” But Macaulay said despite persecutions, he would not be deterred by his resolve to keep shielding and pastoring gay Christians as he himself is a professed one. His words: “The subject of homosexuality is rarely addressed in churches today, even more so the topic of gay/lesbian Christians. Most ministries refuse to accept that lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) individuals can be born-again Christians. The belief is; you cannot profess to walk with Christ if you make a conscious decision to walk in ‘sin’. From many church pulpits, there is constant reference to Biblical scriptures like Sodom and Gomorrah which they say illustrate the consequence of this ‘chosen lifestyle’. These sentiments are also echoed in the lyrics of some well-known Gospel songs. “Whether you agree with this or not, the fact remains that LGBT communities are often condemned to ‘fire and brimstone’ damnation and ostracism. They are seen as the ultimate of all sinners – ahead of the adulterers, idolaters and gossipmongers. There have even been extreme cases of this ‘non-acceptance’ with arson attacks on gay-welcoming churches – one such example occurred in Hawaii a few years ago. “The irony of the matter is that the hatred towards LGBT Christians is more likely to come from the black church which was once oppressed by the white community pre-civil rights days. Yet despite this history, the perceived bigotry from the black congregation remains and my experience is testimony to that,” he explained. Macaulay who said “I am proud to be gay and of Nigerian descent” also declared that “with the love of my parents, I continue to excel as a son who just happens to be homosexual.” However, Macaulay’s father, 80 years old Professor Kunle Macaulay, in an interview with Sunday Mirror, lamented, saying: “Though my son is a gay, I have been praying for him and I will keep praying for him, because that is what the Bible demands of us…also, I have rallied other men of God to join me in prayers as gay practice is a sinful act.” Soon afterwards, however, Macaulay the father, said Jide, his son, was gradually dropping the gay habit and that he hoped that with time, he would become a changed person. Professor Macaulay who is the National President of Association of Christian Theologians (ACT) in Nigeria, added that the incident of five years ago where gays gathered to worship was in no way connected with his United Bible University (UBU) in Ojodu Lagos, as his son’s Pentecostal fellowship group only hired the auditorium for use, at a time he (the father) was not in the country. Objecting strongly to the tolerance given to homosexuals in the Church of England, the Anglican Metropolitan Archbishop and Primate of Nigeria, the Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh, recently warned of its dire consequences. “Such practices contravene the law of marriage as instituted by God. The Anglican Church of Nigeria is not in support of such. We maintain our stand despite the present pressure by the Church in Europe and some political forces compelling us to accept and approve same-sex marriages in Nigeria. We are proud to say that we stand by our belief in the true word of God as we will never be part of such unholy practices presently destroying the church of God in Europe,” His objection, penultimate week, was also amplified by the Anglican bishops who met in Nairobi, Kenya, where they roundly condemned homosexual acts. They warned that such practice was capable of breaking up the Church. I’m proud to be a black gay pastor, says Macaulay How far the African bishops can go in the latest campaigns against homosexual practice and endorsement of same-sex marriage remains to be seen, as some parishes of the Communion in Europe and the Americas have gone far afield. For instance, three dioceses of the Anglican Church of Canada, namely, New Westminster, Niagara, and Montréal, have extended the blessing of civil marriages to same-sex couples. This same scenario applies to the Episcopal Church of the USA which in 2009 adopted a resolution allowing individual bishops to choose whether or not to allow the blessing of same-sex unions within their bishoprics. That decision was widely seen as a form of compromise, following which gay marriages went viral in some US churches. In the same vein, the homosexual bug is not peculiar to the Anglicans, as the Catholic Diocese of the Old Catholics in Germany had recently approved of homosexual civil unions. Also, a retired Anglican, American Bishop of the Diocese of the New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, a professed gay, said that he had led a retreat a few years before for gay Catholic priests. He opposed the Roman Catholic ban on homosexual seminarians, stating, “I find it so vile that they think they are going to end the child abuse scandal by throwing out homosexuals from seminaries.” Robinson who divorced his female wife in 1986, subsequently went to marry a fellow man, Andrew, in 1988. But the Archbishop of Canterbury, the symbolic leader of the world Anglican Communion, Justin Welby, seems to have beamed tacit smiles on homosexuals in the Church. In August this year, he warned Christians to repent over wicked attitude to the homosexuals. Welby who once voted against same-sex marriage in the House of Lords and opposed allowing gay couples to adopt, may have thus vascillated as he said that opposing gays and lesbians would be seen by a majority of under-35s as tantamount to “racism and other forms of gross and atrocious injustice.” But in Nigeria, the Senate last year foreclosed granting legality to the rights of the homosexuals as it passed the same-sex marriage bill, slamming a 14-year jail term on any two men or two women caught in the act. But for the Anglicans and other churches in their fight against homosexuality, advocacy remains the only weapon, so far. Culled from National Morror Newspaper

RCCG prays for security personnel

As part of its monthly programme, the National Headquarters of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, plans to hold prayer session for officers and men of the Armed Forces. According to a release by the Special Assistant to the General Overseer on Administrative & Personnel, Pastor Johnson Odesola, the prayer session would hold on Sunday, November 3, 2013 at the RCCG’s national headquarters in Ebute-meta, Lagos by 8:00a.m. Odesola said the role of various security personnel in the country could not be over-emphasised, explaining that the security personnel needed God’s intervention in discharging their duties effectively.

28 worshippers killed in Anambra stampede

NO fewer than 28 persons, who attended the weekly crusade at the Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, in Idemili North local government area of Anambra State, lost their lives during a stampede at the end of the ceremony in the early hours of yesterday. The crusade, organized by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obinma for prayers, healing and spiritual retreat, attracts thousands of people, but the one that was held yesterday on the Feast of All Saints turned tragic. An estimated 100,000 worshippers reportedly attended the crusade because, besides coinciding with the Feast of All Saints, it was also the first Saturday of the month. Apart from the dead 25 whose bodies were said to have been deposited at Immaculate Heart Hospital and Maternity, Nkpor and Charles Borromew Hospital, Onitsha, several others, who sustained various degrees of injuries, are receiving treatment in various hospitals in Onitsha. *The Adoration Ground after the stampede. *The Adoration Ground after the stampede. Governor Peter Obi, who attended the crusade in company of 10 persons, including the National Chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, the candidate of the party in the November 16 governorship election, Chief Willie Obiano, as well as two siblings of the governor, was said to have left the crusade ground around 3.30am, before the tragedy. Meanwhile, an unconfirmed report blamed the stampede on the governor. The report quoted eye witnesses as saying the stampede occurred when Obi started campaigning for his gubernatorial candidate and there were shouts of disapproval, causing his security aides to fire tear gas into the crowd. But Obi, who said, yesterday, that he was heart-broken by the event, said he went home after the crusade satisfied on the rewarding spiritual encounter, only to get the news later. He consoled all those affected one way or the other and said those responsible would be punished if found or God will punish them if not found. The governor said: “When the spiritual director gave me the opportunity to speak, I noticed something unusual as I saw people carrying the posters of politicians at the adoration ground. “I have been going for the crusade there and, on this occasion, I stayed for six hours and left. Our vehicles were parked two kilometres away and this is a place people have been visiting for a long time without any incident. “It was later that I heard what happened and we are working hard with security agencies to find out those behind the incident. A holy place should not be a place for playing politics.” At the time the stampede occurred, many worshippers said they thought the governor and his entourage were still at the crusade, not knowing that he and his entourage had left the area two hours earlier. An eye witness, Mr. Abuchi Ifebuzo, 31, told Sunday Vanguard at the premises of Crown Hospital, Nkpor where he and some of the injured persons were receiving treatment, that the crusade closed at about 5:08 am yesterday and, as the people were attempting to leave the ground, there was a stampede and people were falling on each other. According to him, trouble started shortly after the event, when some people started shouting “fire’ fire, fire,” adding that, in the confusion that ensued, the worshippers started scampering for safety and, in the process, began to fall on each other. Another eye witness at St Charles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha, Chinenye Etinanma, who said he came to visit her sister who was equally a victim, said she escaped because they were the first set that encountered some people carrying the placards of politicians at the adoration ground. While some of the worshippers attributed what happened to sabotage, alleging that some people raised false alarm of fire, others believed it was an act of God as the people were already on their way out when the stampede happened. At the two morgues at Immaculate Heart Hospital and Borromew Hospital where the bodies were deposited, many people were seen wailing and crying uncontrollably following the loss of their dear ones. A woman, who refused to give her name, said her mother was among the dead, adding that her father died only two months ago. There were however some of the victims who were thought to have died, but regained consciousness later and were either driven home, or admitted into the hospital for further treatment. Following the development, Governor Obi cancelled all his engagements for yesterday. Some of the events he had planned for the day included a governorship campaign rally at Nsugbe, the home town of the governorship candidate of PDP, Chief Tony Nwoye, a live radio programme, flag- off of some road projects, inspection of on-going shopping mall at Onitsha and the on-going stadium at Awka. The governor was among the first group of persons to visit the scene of the incident and the various hospitals in company of two police Deputy Inspectors General, DIGs, visiting the state, Mr. Philemon Leha and Kachi Udoji, and the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bala Nassarawa. Sunday Vanguard could not speak with the Spiritual Director of the Adoration Centre, Obinma, as he was said to have gone to brief the Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev Valerian Okeke. Obinma was also said to have visited the wounded in hospital. Coordinator of the centre, Bro Achebe Nnadi, who was busy entertaining questions from people, said the problem was caused by a group of people who started shouting ‘fire, fire’ when there was none. Meantime, Obi has directed that the names of all the wounded persons be compiled, although he could not say immediately if the state government was going to pick their hospital bills. The governor also visited the Archbishop of Onitsha over the matter, although what they discussed was not made public. He also said that a panel of enquiry would be set up immediately to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the incident.